The stuffing for this recipe is absolutely delicious, but it's the sauce that makes it.

You could make cardboard taste magnificent if you drenched it in this sauce! Even if you don't like blue cheese, just try it – trust me. I also use this sauce when I grill steaks. You'll never look back!

Ingredients

6 large, boneless chicken breasts, skin on

olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp ouzo or brandy

Grape and nut stuffing:

250g red seedless grapes, roughly chopped

100g walnuts, roughly chopped

50g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

juice of ½ lemon

1 tbsp ouzo or brandy

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blue cheese sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

100g blue cheese, crumbled

200ml cream

100ml chicken stock

squeeze of lemon juice

freshly ground black pepper

Grape and walnut stuffed chicken

Method

Make a slit in the fattest part of each chicken breast. Lightly oil the whole chicken breast, including the inside of the cavity. Season well with salt and pepper.

To make the stuffing, mix all the ingredients well by hand or lightly pulse in a food processor. Don't process it too fine – it should be a coarse mixture.

Stuff each chicken breast well, pushing in the stuffing to compact the mixture.

Mix together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon juice and the brandy and season with salt and pepper. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce and pour the rest over the chicken. Chill the chicken in the fridge for 20 minutes or up to 1 hour, to help set the filling.

Place the chicken skin side down on a hot grill for 5-6 minutes to crisp up the skin. Turn over and seal the other side for 5-6 minutes, until golden. Baste the chicken with the reserved sauce and move to a medium-hot part of the BBQ. Cook for 8-10 minutes on each side, until firm to the touch and cooked through.

To make the blue cheese sauce, heat the olive oil in a large pan over a low to medium heat. Sauté the shallot and garlic for about 10 minutes, until very soft. Reduce the heat to low, then add the blue cheese and a splash of cream. Stir until the cheese has completely melted. Gradually add the rest of the cream and the chicken stock, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice and lots of black pepper. Allow the sauce to bubble up and simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens.

Slice the chicken in half or thirds on the diagonal and serve warm with a drizzle of blue cheese sauce.

Ish Factor: Ouzo is an anise-flavoured apéritif that's enjoyed all over Greece and Cyprus. It was first distilled by monks in the 14th century. It's delicious served chilled with a mezze platter of olives, marinated feta, dolmades, dips and nibbles. Good ouzo is smooth and very drinkable, so beware – it's easy to overindulge and end up with a sore head!